The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 482 A Memorable Feast (Two Chapters Combined)

...Those who have never truly gone hungry, those who have been driven to desperation by hunger, will never be able to understand the greatness of agricultural experts like Yuan Longping. It is no exaggeration to say that they are like Buddhas to countless families.

The above description of being starving doesn't refer to people in modern worlds who, after lying down, can't afford takeout and go hungry for several meals.

Instead, they tried their best, but couldn't find any food to fill their stomachs.

During our many treks, my companions and I encountered situations where we were truly starving, and we know how crazy people can become when they reach that point.

It will turn into a beast of burden, finding even the grass on the ground incredibly delicious and wanting to take a few bites.

It will turn into a beast, even when looking at its own kind, its eyes will turn red and its mouth will uncontrollably secrete saliva, because it has its eyes on their flesh.

After experiencing those things, whenever I eat with strangers, they would laugh at me, saying that the bowls I ate from were cleaner than a dog could lick clean.

I can't help but pick up the grains of rice that have fallen on the table and stuff them into my mouth...

...Excerpt from Hu Biao's diary collection "Hu Shuo"...

Time: 1:03 AM on the third day of this trek, on a sheltered mountainside.

When Hu Biao shouted in a low voice, "Attention everyone, stop and rest for half an hour," the order reached their ears.

Xu Feng immediately released all the pent-up energy he had been holding in.

Her legs, as soft as cotton, could no longer support her heavy body, and she immediately knelt down on the ground.

If I hadn't managed to brace myself with my left hand in a moment of panic, I would have fallen flat on my face.

Seeing his disheveled state, Xu Feng wanted to curse out loud to vent his frustration.

As soon as he opened his mouth, he vomited out with a "whoosh." There were hardly any food residues in the vomit; it was mostly water.

She vomited for quite a while, almost emptying all the jaundice fluid from her stomach, before finally stopping.

Xu Feng was supposed to be a fairly senior member of the transmigrator team.

Even though he missed a few missions and didn't improve his physical fitness, he didn't slack off on his physical training during that time, even while washing his feet regularly.

Therefore, their physical condition is already quite good, so they shouldn't be performing so poorly.

Such a poor performance was actually caused by a combination of reasons.

For example: First, since they transmigrated here, they haven't had a proper meal. Meat soup and porridge are just appetizers for these veterans with their amazing appetites.

For such a long time, from daytime until now, they have not eaten anything except for drinking water.

That little bit of broth and porridge had long been digested; I was starving.

Secondly, since yesterday afternoon, they have been pushing forward relentlessly; during this advance, the team faces two tasks that are the most stressful and physically demanding.

First, there's the alternating rearguard action; the importance of this goes without saying.

Without the suppression from AT and his men, the Japanese would have caught up long ago.

Secondly, there are the vanguard troops, whose importance is no less than that of the former. In addition to needing firepower to strike, they are also needed to forcibly tear apart some of the Japanese blocking forces.

The Japanese were also very cunning, often secretly lying in ambush ahead, ready to catch them off guard when they passed by.

For a long time, Xu Feng served as a vanguard, always keeping his nerves on edge to avoid missing any ambushing Japanese soldiers and bringing disaster to the unit.

Those who frequently engage in combat know that under mental stress, physical strength is consumed far more than usual.

In addition, their long journey since the afternoon had already exhausted their physical strength.

All of the above factors combined, with the enormous consumption of resources and no replenishment whatsoever, would be too much for even a seasoned veteran like Xu Feng to handle.

That's why you might see someone who's been holding their breath for a moment, then relaxes slightly, and immediately collapses to their knees, vomiting profusely.

After vomiting violently, Xu Feng felt somewhat more comfortable in his previously churning stomach.

But the hunger that followed was even clearer and stronger, my hands and feet were shaking violently, my head was spinning and my vision was blurry.

Unfortunately, they were not carrying any dry food or emergency supplies.

You should know that after killing Japanese soldiers several times along the way, Xu Feng would quickly search the corpses, trying to find food such as canned food and rice balls.

The result was nothing except for some Japanese cigarettes.

Feeling inexplicably anxious, Xu Feng, starving, inadvertently turned his head and saw Hu Biao kneeling on the ground not far away.

A wildly insane thought arose in his mind, one that even frightened him:
This thing has such a nice perky butt; it must have a lot of meat on it. If I were to take a big bite, it would taste absolutely delicious...

A few seconds later, Xu Feng slapped himself hard across the face.

Then he shook his head vigorously to shake off that terrifying thought.

Because the duration was extremely short, Hu Biao didn't notice that his pert manhood had been targeted by a greasy middle-aged man.

Even if he hadn't noticed this, he knew he had to get something for everyone to eat, otherwise they really wouldn't be able to hold on.

The key issue is that they don't have time, and they also can't cook in order to conceal their whereabouts.

They had no dry food or emergency supplies on them, so what could they eat to tide them over?
Secondly, Hu Biao turned his head and looked around. He couldn't see any houses, vegetable gardens, or wild fruit trees. He couldn't even get some wild fruit or eat some raw radishes.

However, there were many wild grasses on the surrounding ground, which looked quite lush and green, making one inexplicably want to take a bite.

But people aren't livestock; they can't just eat wild grass directly, and they can't digest it anyway.
And believe it or not! After thinking about it carefully for a while, Hu Biao found that it really could be done.

Hu Biao took a closer look at the weeds and realized that they were actually a large patch of wild shepherd's purse; in his memory, this was a common edible wild vegetable.

Back in his hometown in Hunan Province, he especially liked to blanch shepherd's purse and then mix it with minced garlic, salt, sesame oil, and other seasonings to make a cold dish.

According to the wilderness survival materials he had read, he knew that shepherd's purse could be eaten raw, even without being served in a salad.

It simply has an oxalic acid taste and doesn't taste very good; in addition, it is said to contain insect eggs and microorganisms, which are quite harmful to the body.

Some people even experience diarrhea after eating it.

They're already eating well enough these days, so they don't care about all that; even if they get diarrhea, it's not like they didn't bring antidiarrheal medicine.

After considering all of the above, Hu Biao immediately crawled forward a few steps.

He pulled a handful of shepherd's purse from the ground, held it high, and called out to the people around him: "Everyone, hurry up and eat some of this to replenish your energy."

Don't underestimate this stuff; it's rich in dietary fiber, vitamin C, calcium, iron, and other antioxidants, which can not only supplement nutrition but also prevent diseases.

They eat without saying a word. No, wait! It should be that only the one eating knows.

At Hu Biao's shouts, Van Gogh, who was not far away, quickly turned his head to look; at first he did not know what was being eaten, and thought that Hu Biao had hidden some good stuff, so he was quite overjoyed.

When he finally saw what the bastard was holding, he almost coughed up blood.

He cursed under his breath, "You damn bastard! Do you think we're animals? You can eat this?"

Van Gogh wasn't completely unfamiliar with shepherd's purse; he simply misunderstood that Hu Biao was telling them to eat grass.

The key point is that, in his memory, shepherd's purse not only needs to be thoroughly washed and blanched before eating, but it also needs to be paired with a variety of seasonings to taste good.

The best time to eat shepherd's purse is in spring and early autumn, mainly to enjoy its fresh and tender texture.

But the shepherd's purse that Hu Biao held up was obviously old. Eating it without even washing it is no different from eating grass. Isn't that just nonsense?
Faced with Van Gogh's questioning, Hu Biao did not speak, but instead shook the shepherd's purse in his right hand to remove some of the mud and sand.

Then it stretched to its mouth and, like an old ox, took a bite with a 'crunch'.

After chewing a few times, he swallowed it, showing no sign of pain on his face. After swallowing, he even muttered something with delight:
"I thought it would be a bit too old and not taste good, but it turned out to be crisp and refreshing."

Upon hearing this, Van Gogh couldn't help but drool; he quickly pulled a handful of mustard greens from the ground, shook off the dirt a couple of times, and took a bite. His eyes lit up instantly after taking a bite, and he noticeably sped up his chewing, swallowing the mustard greens in just a few bites.

He chimed in, "It's really crisp and refreshing, just like eating lettuce sandwiched in a hamburger."

After hearing Van Gogh's explanation, the others no longer hesitated. They all found a shepherd's purse nearby, pulled it out, and started eating it.

For a moment, no one spoke in the open space on the mountainside.

The only sound was the crunching of nibbling on shepherd's purse, which, from a distance, sounded like rabbits being fed.

In this situation, it wasn't until Annie, because of her cleanliness, shook the mud off the shepherd's purse for a little longer, making her two or three seconds slower than the other veterans, that she finally took a bite.

The next second, he spat out his mouthful of shepherd's purse.

He spat out the crumbs several times before muttering in confusion, "Wasn't it supposed to be crisp and delicious? How come it tastes so awful?"

Indeed! This stuff is bitter and astringent after you put it in your mouth, and it has a strong oxalic acid taste. Eating it really feels like eating grass.

But seeing everyone else's expressions of enjoyment and their positive comments, poor Annie thought she was just hungry and had a problem with her taste buds.

It was only after Annie asked that a chorus of 'pfft' and 'spit' sounds rang out, as the other veterans spat out their mouths full of raw shepherd's purse.

After being stunned for two seconds, Annie finally realized what was going on.

What else could it be? After realizing they'd been tricked, these guys refused to be the only ones to suffer the loss. They stubbornly insisted it was delicious and wanted to trick everyone else as well.

After realizing what had happened, Annie wanted to yell at her unscrupulous friends.

Especially Hu Biao, that big jerk, deserves a good scolding, because he actually praised this thing to the skies.

But the words were already on the tip of his tongue when he saw these guys spitting and spitting like crazy.

I felt both annoyed and amused, and in the end I didn't say anything, but couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Annie's suppressed laughter seemed to have an amazing contagious power, causing everyone who heard it to laugh along, and they all burst into laughter.

Amidst such hearty laughter, everyone's terrible and depressed mood instantly improved considerably...

After laughing until tears streamed down their faces and their stomachs ached, the laughter finally subsided. Seeing this, Annie was just about to complain about her husband's behavior.

Tell Hu Biao not to mess with people like that again.

But in a corner, the oldest child, the veteran, watched them play with a smile while continuing to eat small bites of raw shepherd's purse.

Seeing this, Annie quickly said, "Old soldier, stop eating! It tastes awful, and you might even make yourself sick."

Faced with Annie's good intentions, the veteran said with unusual seriousness, "Sister Annie, don't worry. Uncle Hu is right. Raw mustard greens are edible and won't cause any problems."

A few years ago, when we were crossing the grasslands, we ate everything, skin and bones. We finally found some raw shepherd's purse, but it rained and the matches got wet, so we couldn't start a fire at all.

At that time, we relied on eating raw shepherd's purse to barely fill our stomachs.

Otherwise, I really wouldn't have had the strength to leave that vast grassland, and I would have ended up there like the old squad leader.

When the old sergeant was mentioned, his calm expression finally changed, revealing a weight that seemed beyond his years.

He must have been thinking about five years ago, when he was only 11 years old and crossing the grasslands.

Was it the old squad leader who stayed in the grass to take care of him?
Hearing the veteran's answer and seeing the seriousness on his face that was beyond his years, everyone felt a sense of shame rising within them.

The forefathers of this era suffered immensely for the fate of this country and nation, to prevent it from continuing its slide into the abyss, and to enable it to rise again and be revitalized.

The question is, if they can endure hardship, why can't I?

Have we been having too many good days? Are we being pretentious?
With this self-questioning in mind, Annie was the first to take action; after a wry smile, she frowned, picked up a handful of shepherd's purse from the ground, shook it, and put it in her mouth to eat.

The taste was as bitter and unpalatable as ever, but there were reasons to eat it.

Seeing this, the others also started eating, and soon the loud 'crunch' sound reappeared on the small flat area on the hillside.

The problem is, not only does this stuff taste terrible, but even the strongest will can't resist eating too much of it.

For example, after enduring the extremely unpleasant taste and eating two handfuls of shepherd's purse, he felt a severe acid reflux in his stomach.

Even though I thought my will was as hard as steel, a strong smell of oxalic acid made me almost vomit.

Fortunately, after his eyes darted around a few times, he immediately had an idea.

He carried the rice bag, which he had been carrying all the way, and now only had seven or eight kilograms left. He opened it, grabbed a small handful, and threw it straight into his mouth to chew.

Uncooked rice is naturally very hard.

It made a 'scratching' sound when chewed, and even Van Gogh felt his teeth hurt.

However, once the raw rice was chewed, a rich aroma of rice and the taste of rice bran could still be felt. After swallowing it along with the saliva, my stomach actually felt much better.

He quickly grabbed another handful and stuffed it into his mouth, then handed the rice bag to the cross on the other side.

While laboriously chewing raw rice, he gestured for the other person to quickly give him a handful of raw rice; the effect was so good that anyone who tried it knew how effective it was.

Cross understood Van Gogh's gesture, but felt a certain degree of resistance towards it.

In Cantonese, "eating raw rice" is often used to describe someone who is reckless and impulsive. Also, rice is usually sprinkled at funerals, which is considered very unlucky.

Just as I was about to refuse, a huge wave of nausea hit me, and I was about to vomit up the raw shepherd's purse that I had forced myself to eat. It was all for nothing.

He immediately forgot everything else, grabbed a handful of raw rice and stuffed it into his mouth.

And so, everyone began to nibble on a few bites of raw shepherd's purse and then a mouthful of raw rice.

Because Hu Biao and his group had a truly impressive appetite, they not only completely wiped out a large patch of shepherd's purse around them, but also devoured the remaining seven or eight kilograms of raw rice.

Even so, perhaps because they were too hungry, they only felt half full; however, they knew they couldn't eat any more to avoid causing health problems.

During the above process, no one spoke.

However, all the time travelers firmly believed one thing in their hearts:
Everything that happened tonight, especially this special meal, or rather, this special feast, they will probably remember clearly for a long time to come...

Somewhat coincidentally, it was after resting on this hillside for about twenty-seven or twenty-eight minutes.

Mo Shuiyan, who had just finished stuffing the last grain of rice into her mouth, sat at the back of the line, keeping a close eye on what was happening behind her.

After vaguely seeing something, he hurriedly and forcefully swallowed the raw rice that he hadn't even chewed properly.

Then, he hurriedly shouted, "Oh no! The Japanese are coming up again!"

In a flash, Hu Biao issued an order: "Consumptive Ghost Number Two, you guys continue to act as scouts; Big Fatty, Consumptive Ghost, and Crippled and Deficient, the four of you continue to take turns covering the rear."

Others should keep an eye on the children and offer to carry them if they can't walk any further.

Upon receiving this order, Xu Feng, who continued to serve as a vanguard, leaped to his feet and was pleasantly surprised to find that his trembling hands and feet and blurred vision had actually improved considerably.

Unfortunately, even so, her legs still felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

There's no way around it! Their exercise level today was far too high; it's not something that can be fully recovered from with just twenty-odd minutes of rest.

And so, Hu Biao and his men's breakout operation began once again.

At this moment, they had no idea how many more layers of the Japanese army's inescapable trap lay ahead; nor did they know how much time or cost they would need to break through.

But as I said before: as long as they're not all dead, keep moving forward...

(End of this chapter)